Tag Archives: app-store

The hottest debate today surrounds the iPhone. If you have an original one, should you buy the new iPhone 3G… or should you keep the old one and simply update the operating system to 2.0? I asked my friends over at Friendfeed this very question. The results surprised me.

For me, the OS is more interesting because of the new application platform. Also, as the App Store is available to iPod Touch users as well, its reach is potentially more broad. The barrier to entry for the software/OS is small, while the barrier to entry to upgrade hardware and service to an iPhone 3G, for first-generation users, or non-iPhone users will be too much for many people. – Louis Gray

The firmware and the app store are monumental. Much more than incremental hardware upgrades. That’s why I kept my 1st gen unit. It offers 98% of the funtions of the new hardware. Including LBS. One of many thoughts: http://bit.ly/3xqiVj – Kevin C. Tofel

BTW, this post, while not being prefectly relevant, might peak your interest for discussion. I think that subscription-based products are going to dominate in the future. I believe that the app store is providing Apple the experience necessary to take my ideas in my blog post further. http://onlyjames.com/future-su… – James Mowery via twhirl

OS my biggest issue is as multi-whatever as this phone is, why doesn’t it multi task? when are the apps going to run in the background??? all these apps are useless if it can only run one at a time. – Mona N

Maybe it’s in my head but notifications seem slower when my browser is up…. which is a problem for me since my entire life is based on e-mail and SMS. I also wished Apple at least integrated Java (solely for Gmail) – Mona N

Definitely the new OS. It’s great to have the App Store and finally third-party support on the iPhone OS. Not everyone needs the new hardware as the 3G coverage isn’t available in all areas. – Kevin Skocik

The hardware new features will have a lot less reach (e.g. limiited 3g ares) than the software which will affect both original and 3G models. Furthermore, I wouldn’t be surprised to see the AppStore bring in more coin than the hardware. – William Reveal via twhirl

@Nick: agreed. Though I’m getting the external battery shipped to me from Japan. It plugs in the butt and it’s not as huge… See, only a 50 hour time difference between 2g & 3g iPhones means nothing to me, since all the new apps will probably drain the battery 10 times faster. Well the good news is, the battery is replaceable… since my current battery is crapping out. – Mona N

The new OS, definitely. The best hardware in the world isn’t worth much if nothing good is running on it. – Akiva Moskovitz

The OS – no doubt – though it’s my first iPhone, so the hardware is pretty cool as well. Without the AppStore, the new phone wouldn’t be half as interesting. – Frederic

Software by far. 3G is limited in coverage, GPS is limited in capabilities, extended battery will be wasted on 3G and GPS. – pb30

I only wonder how long it will be before we are buying full fledged Mac OS X desktop applications through iTunes. – James Mowery via twhirl

The hardware is only particularly useful as an enabler of the new OS. The inverse isn’t true. – Nicholas Molnar

definitely the OS. I’m skipping the hardware update (at least for now) but can’t wait to use the new apps. – matt hollingsworth

I’m kinda anti-iPhone; but, I would think since most people will be using the 3G and GPS features alot, the hardware would be important. Not to say the apps aren’t important but, I’m sure people can live without them as some point. Me, I’d personally say battery life was important. – Outsanity

It’s ALL about the software. Without software, all you have is a nice little heater for your cup of tea, or a shiny mirror. 😉 – Josh Bancroft

Hardware. 480k for me vs 36k GPRS on the old one. + the queues speak for themselves. I had apps on my old cracked iPhone – Duncan Riley

If it was truly all about the software, then you wouldn’t have seen the amazingly long lines that we saw today. They were FULL of people running 2.0 software on their current iPhones. They weren’t satisfied with that though. – Andru Edwards

The OS. Because I don’t plan on getting an iPhone, but I will be getting an iPod Touch come Christmas. 🙂 Also, the OS changed the rules of the game for mobile development, as far as I’m concerned. A development environment that allows thousands of desktop app developers to directly apply their existing skills to a new platform? Hell yeah. – James Williams (willia4)

iPhone 2.0 is much better than 3G or GPS, mainly because I don’t have 3G in my area. – Shawn Molnar

I think the 2.0 OS is the best, but a close second would have to be the 3G and GPS functions. – Ethan

Which is more important to you: the operating system, or the hardware? If you’re already using iPhone 2.0, what has your experience been so far? I LOVE it so far. The Apps Store has kept me occupied for way too long already today.

I have an original 8GB iPhone, not the iPhone 3G. However, I’m running the new iPhone 2.0 operating system. After playing with it all day, I’m far more excited about the operating system upgrade than I am about the hardware one. Yes, I know the iPhone 3G is going to be great. It has a GPS and double the amount of space. But I’m not really ready to rush out and wait in line for it. If you are like me and still using the original iPhone… you might want to think about waiting. The iPhone 2.0 operating system is an amazing upgrade.

With the free iPhone 2.0 Software Update, your iPhone does even more. Extend its capabilities with innovative applications you download directly from the new App Store. Get push email, calendar, and contacts from your Microsoft Exchange server at work. And use great new features in Mail, Contacts, and other applications. To get the free update, just sync your iPhone with your Mac or PC.

There are so many awesome apps available for iPhone 2.0. I can’t even tell you how many of them I downloaded today. The apps are great because they take advantage of all the groundbreaking technologies in iPhone, such as the accelerometer, Multi-Touch, 3D positional sound, and GPS. There are fun apps, apps to help you GTD, and even apps that can just make your life a whole lot easier.

Is 2.0 worth it? You bet your Super Monkey Balls it is! Get it. I promise you will be happy with the decision.

Want to embed this video on your own site, blog, or forum? Use this code or download the video:

Yes, the video is upside-down. It’s supposed to be! I wanted to show you Super Monkey Ball, which is available from iTunes. I installed 2.0 onto my iPhone today, and started downloading apps. I noticed a ton of people had been downloading this particular one, so I was trying to decide what to do. I was hemming and hawing, trying to decide if I should spend the ten bucks to get this game or not. My friend Kevin Carmony sent me a $10 gift certificate to the iTunes store, telling me to stop messing around and get it already! Ok fine! So I buy the app and start playing around with it. OMG. This is awesome!

This gave me an idea! I could get people to send me $10 iTunes gift certificates in exchange for my doing silly things. Someone had me sing Chocolate Rain, which I did of course. Another one of you sent me a gift certificate and asked me to let you see me playing Super Monkey Ball. If you want me to do something silly, it’ll cost you a $10 iTunes gift certificate! I know you can’t hear me very well, but this game isn’t about the audio. It’s all about the game play. I’ve found that if you hold it at a ten-degree angle, it will work much better for you.

You are one of four monkey characters who happens to reside in a clear sphere. Your goal is to roll around a series of precariously strung platforms into the goal portal. On the iPhone, control is accelerometer-based–simply tilting the device back and forth controls your momentum. If you receive a call while playing Super Monkey Ball, play will be interrupted and you will be presented with the traditional “Answer” or “Decline” screen. If you decline the call, Super Monkey Ball will be automatically paused and you can immediately resume and return to play. If, however, you accept the call, Super Monkey Ball will restart and your previous game will be eliminated.

Thanks, Apolo for the gift certificate, and for asking me to play this game in a video. It’s a lot of fun, and I’m sure I’ll master it… eventually!

Yes, I know I put Monkey Balls instead of Monkey Ball… just thought you’d get a laugh out of it!

Want to embed this video on your own site, blog, or forum? Use this code or download the video:

My favorite feature of iPhone 2.0 the operating system has to be the App Store. I love the design, and how easy it is to find and download whatever you’re looking for. They’re even simple to install.

Downloading applications to iPhone is easy. Just tap the App Store icon, browse whatever categories you’re interested in, then download your purchases wirelessly — and in some cases, free. Once you own an application, the App Store automatically notifies you when there’s an update. You can even shop for applications on iTunes, then sync them to your iPhone.

When you’re browsing around for new apps, you really should ignore the ‘star’ ratings. Some of the people who leave feedback are just idiots. One person left only 1 star on an app, claiming he couldn’t afford it. Dude. It was a $5.00 app! If you cannot afford that, then you cannot afford an iPhone or an iPod. Just be smart when reading comments and judging feedback from others. I would take into account who could have left those comments, and the reasoning behind them. Do your research on the app itself (check ratings elsewhere online), and decide if it’s something you think will be valuable to you. That’s what matters.

Ok so once you’ve chosen something, it tells you the price. Click on that, and the button changes to “Install”. Right away, it will ask you for your iTunes password. It will then download and install your application. You’ll be popped back into your iPhone menu. The next time I sync it with iTunes, it should show that the app is already installed. As soon as it is finished downloading and installing, you should be able to launch and use it right away.

Oh and by the way… if you want to have some fun and be disruptive, make sure you install the World 9 app. It’s free.. and it’s tons of fun. When enabled on your iPhone, it makes a lovely “boing boing boing” sound every time your iPhone shakes or jumps. Grab some friends, enable the app, slip the iPhones in your pockets… and hop around! I’m tellin ya. You’ll crack up! Or is it me that has cracked up?

Want to embed this video on your own site, blog, or forum? Use this code or download the video: